Jeff,I have never personally gone over about 35 lbs. for visual on my CGEM, but there are a few folks in the Yahoo CGEM users group who are imaging with close to/or over 40 lbs. (with a Hyperstar) on their CGEMs. You should check them out if you are looking for more info on high weight loads on your mount. I believe at least one of the folks was pier mounted.

George;Being retired I find I'm much more prone to extremes and my scope and mount setup prove it...it works well as long as I'm careful...the CGEM constantly surprises me with its' goodness...as long as I'm balanced I don't get a sense I'm straining it.